Italian Bread

I am continuing to give bread making the college try but I still have a lot to learn.  I don’t know if it is the winter weather and the dryness that comes with it or not.  To combat the dryness, I used an extra long rise time and during the rise, I put a couple of pots on the stove and put water in them to create steam.

The result was so so.  My problem is having the bread cook all the way through.  I used the extra rise time to try and lighten the dough.  Thinking that lighter dough will be more forgiving.  If any of my readers have suggestions, I am all ears.  The end parts of the bread were tasty but the middle just didn’t set.  I would recommend trying a longer cook time than my 30 minutes.

Recipe
Italian Bread:

Place in your mixing bowl 3 cups of bread flour, 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast, 1 1/4 cups warm water, 2 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tsp brown sugar and 2 tbsp olive oil and mix on low speed until dough becomes tacky and is pulled away from the sides
Cover with a damp towel and place in a dark spot in your kitchen enabling it to rise.  After 3 – 4 hours, knead the dough for 5 minutes using a dusting of the bread flour as you go.  Repeat this process 1 more time, letting the bread rise for another 1 – 2 hours.  Meanwhile, beat in a small mixing bowl 1 egg, 1 tbsp water and 1 tbsp agave nectar.  Slit the top of the bread with a serrated knife and brush the egg wash generously on the top of the bread
Place in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Enjoy!